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Romeo and Juliet

by William Shakespeare

Characters in Romeo and Juliet

The Two Warring Households

THE MONTAGUES

THE CAPULETS

Lord Montague: Head of the Montague household

Lord Capulet: head of the Capulet household

Lady Montague: The wife of Lord Montague and Romeo’s mother

Lady Capulet: The wife of Lord Capulet and Juliet’s mother

Romeo: the Montague’s son, later husband of Juliet

Juliet: the Capulets’ daughter, later wife of Romeo

Benvolio: The Montagues’ nephew, Romeo’s cousin and friend

Tybalt: The Capulets’ nephew and a bitter opponent of the Montagues

Balthasar: Romeo’s servant Nurse: a servant of the Capulet household who has looked after Juliet since her birth

Abraham: Montague servant

Sampson: Capulet servant

Gregory: Capulet servant

Peter: Capulet servant

Other important characters:

Prince Escalus: The Prince of Verona who wants to restore peace to the city

Paris: A young nobleman and relative of the Prince who wants to marry Juliet

Mercutio: A relative of the Prince and close friend of Romeo and Benvolio

Friar Laurence: A priest from whom Romeo and Juliet seek advice

Rosaline: Romeo thinks he loves her (before he meets Juliet)

Prologue

This sums up the main events of the play.

Read two lines at a time and discuss what they refer to. Write a newspaper headline to match the events

of each couplet.

Read Act 1 Scenes 1, 4 and 5. Answer the following questions:

Scene 1

1. What does the first scene reveal about Romeo’s behaviour?

Scene 4

1. Looking at scene 4, what kind of friend is Mercutio to Romeo? What advice does he give Romeo?

How does Mercutio’s attitude towards love differ from Romeo’s?

2. What does the Queen Mab speech reveal about Mercutio?

Scene 5

1. In scene 5, what do we learn about Tybalt?

2. Read scene 5, lines 43 - 52 and then complete the table below. The first one has been done for

you.

Example of simile or metaphor Shakespeare compares what

to what?

Purpose and effect of the

comparison

O she doth teach the torches to

burn bright!

This line compares Juliet to a

flame.

The comparison emphasises

the way Juliet glows and stands

out like a light in the room. The

purpose is to emphasise her

beauty.

3. Compare Romeo’s reaction with Juliet’s when each discovers the true identity of the other.

4. Are Romeo’s feelings for Juliet different to his feelings for Rosaline? Explain.

Act 1 Literary Elements

1. A foil is a character who has qualities that are in sharp contrast to another character, thus

emphasising the traits of each. How is Mercutio a foil to Romeo?

2. Foreshadowing refers to hints about what is to come. What examples of foreshadowing are there

in the Prologue and scene 4?

3. Hyperbole means deliberate exaggeration. Look at Romeo’s declaration of love for Rosaline in

scene 1. What examples of hyperbole can you find? Why does Romeo overstate his feelings?

4. A pun is a play on words that have similar sounds but more than one spelling or meaning. Scene 4

has many puns. Explain one of these and what its effect is.

5. Good drama has conflicts: struggle between opposing forces. What conflicts are set in motion in

scene 5?

6. Oxymoron: An oxymoron is an expression that contains two words that are the opposite in

meaning and therefore seem to contradict one another. Oxymorons are sometimes used to

create a striking impression or idea in the reader or listener’s mind. Some examples of oxymoron

are: slow haste (speed); loving hate. In scene I, Romeo uses many examples of oxymoron to

express his feelings. He is the typical courtly lover, longing for Rosaline, an unattainable woman.

Find 2 examples of oxymorons from scene 1, lines 167–172. Explain the meaning and effect of

each oxymoron. Why do you think Shakespeare chose to use this poetic technique in this scene?

What impression of Romeo does the audience develop?

Act 2 Scene 2. Answer the following question:

Compare the balcony scenes from Luhrmann’s and Zefferelli’s films. How are they similar and how do

they differ? Why might this be?

Act 2 Scene 2 Literary Elements

Imagery refers to language that appeals to the 5 senses (sight, hearing, taste, touch, smell) It adds

emotion and power to writing. What images of light, dark and fire are used by Shakespeare in scene 2?

What is their dramatic purpose?

Read Act 3 Scenes 1 and 4. Answer the following questions:

Scene 1

1. Why does Mercutio fight Tybalt?

2. How does Mercutio describe his wound?

3. List some of the words that are comical and sad.

4. How does Mercutio’s joking add to the pathos (sadness) of the scene?

5. Mercutio repeatedly calls out “A plague on both your houses!” Why does Shakespeare use this

image?

6. Who is to blame for the fight?

7. Is Romeo’s punishment fair? Explain.

8. The Nurse advises Juliet to forget Romeo and to marry Paris. Does this surprise you?

9. Did the Prince handle the situation well? Explain.

Scene 4

1. What are Lord Capulet and Paris planning for Juliet?

2. Is Paris a good choice for Juliet?

3. What has Juliet already done?

4. What complications does this create?

5. What might Juliet do?

Act 3 Literary Elements

A theme is the underlying message. How does Mercutio’s speech in Scene 1 “a plague o’ both your

houses” reflect one of the main themes of the play?

Read Act 4 Scenes 1 and 3. Answer the following questions:

Scene 1

1. Why does Lord Capulet agree to Juliet’s marriage taking place so soon? Lines 12-14

2. There is much dramatic irony between Juliet and Paris. Give an example.

3. What does Juliet tell Friar Laurence as soon as Paris leaves? Line 45

4. What plan does the Friar suggest to Juliet? Lines 68-76, 89-120 ( ½ page)

5. How does Friar Laurence intend to let Romeo know of his plan? Lines 123-124

Scene 3

1. What advice would you give Juliet? (one paragraph)

2. Write a farewell letter to Romeo, in case the plans go wrong, telling him what you are doing,

describing your fears and telling him how you feel about him now.

Act 4 Literary Elements

Find 2 examples of dramatic irony and explain them.

Read Act 5 Scene 3. Answer the following questions:

Scene 3

1. What happens to Paris and what does Romeo’s treatment of Paris reveals about him?

2. What hints are there that Juliet is only asleep? Lines 91-102

3. What is Juliet’s reaction to finding Romeo? Lines 161-170

4. Who contributed to the deaths of Romeo and Juliet? Explain how they were involved. (1/2 page)

5. Should the Friar have left Juliet on her own? Explain.

6. Write an obituary column for Romeo or Juliet.

7. Could either Romeo or Juliet have changed the course of events by acting differently? Explain

8. Show how inevitable delays led to disaster.

9. Show also how reckless haste precipitated disaster.

Act 5 Literary Elements

1. A tragedy tells the story of the defeat of a tragic hero. His or her downfall results from a tragic

flaw or character weakness. Who is the tragic hero in this play and what was their tragic flaw?

2. Name 3 themes addressed by the events in this last act.